Governments urged to invest in specialist healthcare and education

Healthcare workers attending an induction course. [Courtesy]

Governments and development partners across  Africa and Asia have been urged to invest more in specialist healthcare and education.

Stakeholders warn that communities cannot achieve better lives when patients lack specialised treatment and children lack access to quality learning.

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa said governments must provide enough teachers, classrooms and learning materials.

“We need to put more resources in the education sector so that we have enough teachers, classrooms, study and learning materials to drive the curriculum,” he said.

The call comes after a similar was made during the 13th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2026, held virtually, where policymakers, healthcare professionals and development partners discussed ways of strengthening health systems and expanding opportunities for communities.

According to the Merck Foundation, more than 2,600 healthcare professionals from 52 countries across Africa and Asia have received scholarships in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.

More than 800 of these scholarships have focused on fertility and women's health, including fertility care, embryology, sexual and reproductive medicine, clinical psychiatry, women's health, urology, laparoscopic surgery and family medicine.

The Foundation says the training is helping strengthen fertility and women's healthcare services in 42 countries.

Kenya is among the beneficiaries, with 328 healthcare professionals receiving scholarships in specialised medical fields.

The training is expected to improve access to specialist care and reduce the need for patients to travel long distances in search of treatment.

First Lady Rachel Ruto described the scholarships as an investment in communities and stronger health systems.

“Every scholarship represents a life that will be touched. Every trained healthcare worker represents a community that will be healthier,” she said.

Mrs Ruto also pointed to the wider inequality affecting millions of people across Africa and Asia.

“Every child enters this world with limitless potential, yet for millions across Africa and Asia, the future they inherit is often determined not by their talent, ambition, or determination, but by where they are born,” she said.

Her remarks highlighted a common problem: talent and hard work may not be enough when people lack access to good schools, healthcare and professional opportunities.

She also stressed the importance of educating girls, saying, “When we educate a girl, we do not change one life. We change generations.”

Merck Foundation CEO Dr. Rasha Kelej said the scholarships were helping countries  address gaps in specialist healthcare. Some beneficiaries, she noted, have become the first specialists in particular medical fields in their countries.

However, stakeholders warned that training professionals is only one part of the solution. Dr. Griffin Majani, a neurosurgeon, said shortages of specialists can force patients to travel to other counties or countries for treatment, adding transport and accommodation costs to already difficult medical expenses.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria also raised concerns about students' medical cover. He said schools often have to rely on parents when students fall sick because available funds mainly cover basic treatment.

The stakeholders therefore stressed that scholarships must be backed by functioning health facilities, equipment, medicines and jobs that allow trained professionals to use their skills.

The focus on women's health was also significant as the conference coincided with World Infertility Awareness Month.

Through its “More Than a Mother” campaign, Merck Foundation seeks to support women affected by infertility while challenging stigma and social exclusion.

The Foundation also runs the Educating Linda programme, which has awarded more than 1,550 scholarships to schoolgirls in 21 African countries.

Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, said building healthcare capacity remains central to improving lives.

“At Merck Foundation, we remain committed to improving health and well-being by building healthcare capacity and providing access to quality and equitable healthcare across Africa, Asia, and beyond,” he said.